Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances....

There is no doubt that the work we've been doing with the Meisner technique has been challenging, but I hope that it has allowed all of you to start thinking about how to use your instincts truthfully.   When the work onstage is honest and actors are not only invested in the world around them but also the people with whom they are interacting, it's riveting.  In our everyday lives, we work really hard to make sure that people don't get to us, that we don't sweat the small stuff, and never let anyone see us cry.  As actors, we have to be brave enough to let people happen to us, to really listen to them and let their presences affect what our characters feel and choose to do.

It really is hard work to be truthful and imaginary at the same time.  The more we can find to really be doing onstage (really playing cards, really drinking the tea, really cleaning the house), the less we have to THINK about being truthful.  We can just be there, in the moment, honestly drinking tea and reacting to the imaginary world we're living in for a few moments.

I am very proud of the work you've done in class over the past month.  Don't forget that, like anything worth doing well, this takes time, energy, focus, and effort.  We'll continue to use basic aspects of repetition before scenework to help you connect with your partner(s) before performances and will continue to talk about "really doing what you're doing for real", but as we move away from this technique as a primary focus of our classwork, I encourage you to read more if you are interested.  Let me know if you want some titles.